Car will no longer start

Discussion in 'Prius c Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Daniel B., May 31, 2026 at 11:44 AM.

  1. Daniel B.

    Daniel B. Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 1, 2016
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    Location:
    Port Richey, FL
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    Two
    I have a weird one guys. 2012 Prius C one. A couple of days ago, my aftermarket head unit was acting up randomly cutting out like it had a loose wire or something. It would randomly shut off and restart itself and work fine usually.
    On Friday I pulled the radio out to check the wiring and radio fuse itself and everything was intact and seemed normal. Put everything back together and suddenly have a hybrid drive system error message on the dash. The car will no longer start and run, none of the accessories will turn on and I can't shift the car out of park. I tried literally everything I could think of, checked every single fuse in the car, checked battery voltage, grabbed diagnostic codes did searches on everything and even tried clearing them.
    I have absolutely no idea why it's suddenly doing this unless I managed to fry an ecu or something wild like that. I am at a loss and I hope that you guys can help .thank you
     
    #1 Daniel B., May 31, 2026 at 11:44 AM
  2. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

    Joined:
    May 12, 2018
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    Location:
    Pennsylvania
    Vehicle:
    2018 Prius c
    Model:
    Two
    Did you check the fuses electrically? A visual test is often not good enough.

    You checked the battery voltage- what was it? And where did you check it, at the battery posts or from a test point elsewhere in the car? The battery can be fully charged but if the cables connecting it to the car have an open, it won't do you any good.

    You say you got diagnostic codes- what were they?

    Wishing you luck!
     
    #2 Leadfoot J. McCoalroller, May 31, 2026 at 12:34 PM
    BiomedO1 likes this.
  3. BiomedO1

    BiomedO1 Senior Member

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    Location:
    Left Coast
    Vehicle:
    2021 Prius Prime
    Model:
    LE
    I would probably start with disconnecting the aftermarket head unit power cables and disconnect it from the car's CAN bus and try again - since that was the last thing you messed with, before it quit.
     
    #3 BiomedO1, May 31, 2026 at 1:53 PM
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